Mr. Atkins will be succeeded by Chris McCarthy, who currently leads VH1 and Logo. Mr. McCarthy will add MTV to his responsibilities and continue to report to
Doug Herzog,
president of Viacom Music and Entertainment Group.

In a note to staff on Monday, Mr. Atkins said he would stay through January in an advisory role during the transition, calling his stint at MTV an “enriching and rewarding experience.”

Chris McCarthy has been named president of MTV, VH1 and Logo.
Photo:
Viacom

Still, the network, which has been particularly hard hit by young consumers’ shift to newer platforms, has struggled in the traditional linear TV ratings.

“The power of the MTV brand is its ability to let go everything it knows and reinvent for the next generation of youth, and I’m excited to push the boundaries of what it can be in this transformative time,” Mr. McCarthy said in a statement.

Under Mr. Atkins, who previously was the general manager and executive vice president of digital media and strategy at Discovery Communications, MTV also pushed into new digital terrain with its channel on Snapchat Discover, the app’s media destination. He revamped MTV News and rebranded VH1 Classic as MTV Classic, which features 1990s and 2000s MTV programming.

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